My 200SX SE-R was stolen last weekend and now I'm in the market for another car. Kinda want a RWD car so I'm looking at E28's and E34's. I found this one on craiglist and wanted some input. I don't know much about BMW's, just what my friend has told me.
Thanks a bunch.
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/car/135551356.html
Looking to buy an E28
If you can turn your own wrenches, you will be fine. If you plan on having every little problem fixed by the dealer, you will be living in a refrigerator box in no time. This board is a great resource, the information, guidance and excellent sources of parts you will find here will make it a very enjoyable car to own, relative to pretty much any other car of similar vintage, and most newer cars, too. The E28 is a true drivers car, it is built to last, and it is easy to work on.
I could work on my 71 VW but I don't think it gets any easier than that. I haven't done much besides replace brakes, altenators, oil, etc. I've never had any experience with anything difficult. I had my clutch in my 200SX replaced by a shop. I didn't feel comfortable doing that myself.
That being said I'm a fairly competent person and I could probably figure it out. I have friends that are pretty good mechanics as well.
That being said I'm a fairly competent person and I could probably figure it out. I have friends that are pretty good mechanics as well.
That appears to be a good example especially if as he describes. I agree that they are easy to work on and last a long time. Parts are no more expensive than those for Japanese cars and there are plenty of sources here. Join the BMWCCA and you can benefit from parts discounts at many BMW dealers and other sources that we are aware of....plus you get great magazine. Well worth the annual membership fee.
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MatthewakaMatt
- Posts: 232
- Joined: Feb 12, 2006
- Location: Golden, CO
Is it just the lighting or does that rear door look like it is a slightly different shade? If is actually a slightly different color, that probably means that the car was in some accident. Either way it probably would be good to do a carfax and maybe have a mechanic look the car over before buying. It's a lot better to discover any potential problems before rather than after you hand over money.
uhhmn, maybe , actually, a 535 may be cheaper to maintain than alot of 3500$ used cars. any 19 yr old car is bound to have issues. The neat thing about E-28s is that they are pretty easy to DIY on. Parts are fairly inexpensive,and there is a good manual available. Also you have happened across this forum which can walk you through just about any scenario that will befall this car. If you are willing to learn a few things and get your hands dirty. But if you have to rely on "professional" help, you're screwed.bkern wrote:Yeah, obviously the guy is trying to make the car look spectacular!!!!
You can tell by all his extra exclamations points. heh
Now question is.... I'm a 23yo college student that makes 9 bucks an hour. Will I be able to afford the maintenance on a car like that?
Me too.bkern wrote:
Now question is.... I'm a 23yo college student
Me too.bkern wrote: that makes 9 bucks an hour.
Maybe. It depends. Maintenance isn't the bad part. Oil changes, fluid flushes, brake pads, valve adjustments are cake. The problem is, you will love the car so much you won't want to quit modifying it to make it better! It's like I've got a disease, and the only prescription is more (cowbell?) performance!bkern wrote:Will I be able to afford the maintenance on a car like that?
Good luck with the purchase!
Yeah, I figure I'll have similar problems. Hopefully I won't get an itchy trigger finger and blow all my financial aid money on performance upgrades.FastFiver wrote:
Maybe. It depends. Maintenance isn't the bad part. Oil changes, fluid flushes, brake pads, valve adjustments are cake. The problem is, you will love the car so much you won't want to quit modifying it to make it better! It's like I've got a disease, and the only prescription is more (cowbell?) performance!
Good luck with the purchase!
Also found 2 good E34 525's. They have a little lower miles but they're auto's. I love my MT's.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?c ... ardist=131
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?c ... ardist=116
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?c ... ardist=131
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?c ... ardist=116
woo, I'm rich - I make $10/hr. 21yr old college student, and if you can do it yourself you can even afford to modify the bugger. My car has never had a piece of paid work done on it since I bought it. It's a great car to work up the learning curve of fixing cars. Much better than my old Awful Romeo.
I second that.BKCowGod3 wrote:woo, I'm rich - I make $10/hr. 21yr old college student, and if you can do it yourself you can even afford to modify the bugger. My car has never had a piece of paid work done on it since I bought it. It's a great car to work up the learning curve of fixing cars. Much better than my old Awful Romeo.
I bought my '86 535i back in 1992, when I was 28. It had 132k miles. For years it was my only car. It's still my daily driver, and it has 346k miles. My other car, which I bought in 2002, is an '87 535is.
If I were like most Americans, I'd probably spring for a new car at this point in my life. But I like my e28s too much. The only problem is that nice ones are getting hard to come by. They aren't used cars anymore. They're classics.